Contents

High school
years

Holmes attended Glades Central High School
in Belle Glade and was a letterman in football, basketball, and track.
In football, he helped lead his team to two state titles and a 12-1
record as a senior. In basketball, he helped lead his team to a
state runner-up finish as a senior. In track, his team won the
state title during his junior year, and he was the member of a 4x400
meter relay team that won two state titles. Santonio graduated
from Glades Central Community High School in 2002 with a 3.4 GPA.

College
career

Holmes attended Ohio State University where he was red shirted
when Ohio State won the 2002 national Championship.

Holmes caught 245 passes for 2,295 yards and 25 touchdowns, while gaining 3,123 all-purpose yards. His 240 career receptions and 3,496
yards ranked were the fifth totals highest in school history at the
time. His 25 touchdown catches ranked him 3rd.[1]

Professional
career

2006
season

Holmes left college a year early and was taken in the first
round of the 2006
NFL Draft. The 25th pick overall, he was the first receiver
since Plaxico Burress taken in the first round by the Steelers.
Holmes, who wore number 4 at Ohio State (a number that isn't issued
to wide receivers in the NFL), was issued number 10, previously
worn in Pittsburgh by former kickerRoy Gerela and quarterbackKordell Stewart.

Early on in the Steelers' disappointing 2006 season, Holmes was
criticized for his poor performance on special teams as a
returner, a role in which he fumbled frequently. However, Holmes had better
success as a receiver, displaying his athleticism and skill in
several of the Steelers' games. He earned Week 6 Diet PepsiRookie of the Week honors for his
performance October 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs, totaling 58
yards receiving and 13 yards rushing.

2007
season

Holmes was named the Steelers' starting split end coming into
training camp. He enjoyed a breakout season in 2007 as he led the
Steelers in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and emerged as
one of the better known deep threats in the NFL. In Week 1 of the
season against the Cleveland Browns, Holmes caught a 40
yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger as they went on to
defeat the Browns 34–7. Week 4 in a loss against the Arizona
Cardinals, he enjoyed one of the best games in his young pro
career as he finished the game with 6 receptions, 128 yards, and 2
touchdown catches. In week 9, he enjoyed another two touchdown game
against the Baltimore Ravens, in a game which both
touchdowns came in the first half. He finished the game with 4
catches, 110 yards, and two touchdowns. In week 16, Santonio Holmes
amassed the most yards receiving in a game in his career, as he
finished the game with 133 yards receiving against the St. Louis Rams.
He finished the year with 942 yards receiving and 8 touchdown
catches. He led the league in yards per catch.[2]

2008
season

Despite returning no punts throughout the 2007 season, Holmes
explored returning again for the 2008 season.[3] During
the offseason, Holmes had set a goal to play in all 16 games
throughout the season,[4]
increasing his weight by 11 pounds through workouts in the
offseason.[5]

Holmes began the season with 2 receptions for 19 yards in a win
against the Houston Texans. In the following 10-6
win over the Cleveland Browns, Holmes totaled 94
yards on 5 receptions and had a carry for 10 yards. In the
following loss to the Eagles, he recorded 3 receptions
for 32 yards. Holmes saw his first score the following week in an
overtime win against the Baltimore Ravens, finishing with 61
yards on 3 receptions for a touchdown. Following a bye week, Holmes
totaled 89 yards on 5 receptions in the win against the Cincinnati
Bengals.

Statistically, Holmes' production decreased when compared to his
2007 stats. He declined in receptions, receiving yards, and
receiving average. However, Holmes' still contributed big plays
throughout the season, especially during the game versus the
Cowboys where he caught a long pass that ignited a struggling
Steelers offense.

In Super
Bowl XLIII, Holmes secured the Steelers' NFL-record 6th Super
Bowl win after catching a 6-yard touchdown pass from Ben
Roethlisberger with 35 seconds left in regulation. Holmes caught
nine passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, including four
receptions for 71 yards on their final game-winning drive. He was
named Super Bowl MVP, becoming the sixth wide receiver to win the
award, and also was the third Pittsburgh receiver to win the award,
following Lynn Swann and Hines Ward.

Legal
trouble

Holmes has acknowledged selling drugs on the street corner of
his hometown of Belle Glade, Florida as a
teenager; he says that his mother's influence and a desire to play
professional football made him decide to stop.[7]

On July 7, 2006, Holmes appeared in Franklin County Court in Columbus, Ohio
for both a pre-trial regarding the domestic case and hearing
regarding the traffic ticket. He plead no contest to the traffic
ticket and agreed to pay a fine. While Lashae Boone, the mother of
Holmes' daughter and the victim in the assault case, requested that
the domestic violence and assault charges be dropped, the
prosecutor refused. Boone and their daughter accompanied Holmes to
court. The charges were later dropped.[10]

On October 23, 2008, Holmes was arrested in Pittsburgh and cited
by officers for possession of marijuana.[11][12] He
released an apology after missing a game, stating that he wished to
"focus all of [his] efforts on helping our team win on the field
and achieve its ultimate goal."[13]